Chapter 63 Blasphemy 12. But for some reason, Shen Mingxin still...
Shen Mingxin was taken aback when he saw the writing on the table. Without thinking, he shook his head with a smile and said, "A few river shrimp are not worth that much. I have not yet repaid your life-saving grace. Any more would be greed."
At this point, as if remembering something, he looked at the white cat and said, "You are so naive. Could it be that you used to cultivate only in the deep mountains and forests, and have only recently entered the world? Don't be like this in the future. Demons are certainly ferocious, but the human heart can also be ugly."
This was the first time Chu Shenxiang had ever heard someone describe her as simple and innocent.
His dark blue eyes met Shen Mingxin's, and the tip of his tail twitched again.
The liquid on the table changed: "I have been in this world for many years, so you need not worry. These three things are just three things, no need to say more. When you seek me, light a stick of incense facing southeast and silently visualize my appearance."
Since he was already worried about Shen Mingxin's affairs, he figured he might as well take on three more.
Such a charitable act of offering incense has fulfilled all the boundless kindness and righteousness.
"The White Cat Immortal is so domineering." Shen Mingxin raised her eyebrows and smiled.
But he didn't say anything more.
He felt close to the white cat's scent, and although he had some suspicions about it, he ultimately trusted it more. He knew the white cat's actions meant it had noticed something strange about his home and wanted to help him, but as long as he had any conscience, he couldn't really drag it into this mess.
Since the white cat wouldn't let him refuse, he wouldn't refuse; however, whether or not to burn incense at the appointed time was up to him.
Seeing Shen Mingxin's expression, Chu Shenxiang guessed that he might be outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, but she didn't say anything.
He has his choices, and Shen Mingxin has hers; he won't interfere.
With the white cat by her side, perhaps feeling more at ease, the gloom between Shen Mingxin's brows gradually faded.
Having witnessed the filthy scene of Shen Chou mingling with the gods in one day, as well as the unfamiliar side of his grandfather and learned too much about past grievances, Shen Mingxin's mind was in turmoil.
He took two more sips of wine, sighed, and suddenly slammed the glass down.
“A mess,” he said.
Chu Shenxiang knew what he was talking about and looked at him.
"There are countless truths and falsehoods in the world, and many things are impossible to unravel. If others can't figure them out, why should I?"
Shen Mingxin lowered her eyes, seemingly talking to the white cat, yet also seemingly muttering to herself: "Judging by actions, not intentions. In all my years, Grandpa has never wronged me. I may disagree with some of his actions, but I shouldn't resent him. I've known Shen Chou for twelve years, we're sworn brothers, though we haven't interacted much. No matter what, I've never wronged him, and he shouldn't have harmed me..."
"I am Shen Mingxin, so just take care of Shen Mingxin's affairs."
As he swallowed the wine, Shen Mingxin remained silent for a moment before slowly raising his hand and pouring himself another glass.
Then, as if having made up his mind, he drank the wine in one gulp.
Chu Shenxiang vaguely sensed something, but pretended not to know anything about the secret conversation at the pharmacy. With a slight twitch of her tail, she condensed words: "It sounds like what you saw at the rockery is strange. What do you intend to do?"
Shen Mingxin looked at the white cat.
He didn't want to hide anything from him, but fearing that the white cat was kind-hearted and might get involved unintentionally, he simply said, "Great Immortal White Cat, please rest assured. I'm not even a local tyrant in Yu County, so how could I dare to go against the gods? In a couple of days, I plan to go to the Shenxiang Temple to ask my sworn brother for help. I think that compared to Lord Chunshan, He is a good god and shouldn't really want my life."
Chu Shenxiang glanced at him.
Shen Mingxin's words didn't sound genuine, but they weren't entirely false either. It didn't sound like he was begging for divine mercy, but rather like he was going to shoulder everything alone, find Shen Xiangjun to accept the karma, and calmly face death.
But regardless, if this adopted brother really intends to come looking for her, it's much better than waiting for the national advisor to come and take her as a disciple. In the past two hundred years, Chu Shenxiang has never met a good national advisor from any country or generation.
Shen Mingxin, unaware of what Chu Shenxiang had seen through him, chuckled to himself and changed the subject, offering his wine cup to the white cat: "There's always a way out, things will work themselves out. Don't overthink it. White Cat Immortal, the flowers are in full bloom and the moon is full, shall we have a drink together?"
"This is peach blossom wine, it's very sweet." He rested his chin on his hand, leaned closer, and his soft breath carried the bright scent of peach blossoms.
The scent of peach blossoms wafted over Chu Shenxiang, and her white fur almost turned into powder.
He glanced at him and ignored him.
Shen Mingxin met his gaze and was taken aback: "White Cat Immortal, have I ever told you that your eyes look like someone?"
He leaned closer, his voice low, revealing a hint of drunkenness: "No, not a human, but a god. Shen Xiangjun, the Shen Xiangjun of my dreams. Especially that one glance just now, with that 'disdain to speak with you mortals' look, it was just like her."
Chu Shenxiang didn't want to pay any more attention, but then she suddenly remembered her adopted brother's words from last night, "I won't tell you," so she paused and asked, "You dreamed about Shenxiang-jun?"
"Is it strange that my sworn brother dreamed of his sworn brother?" Shen Mingxin smiled and winked, answering frankly without the slightest shame.
Chu Shenxiang's remaining question was cut off by this retort, leaving her speechless.
I don't know how this person dares to act so matter-of-factly.
Just then, there was a knock on the door of the private room. A servant of the Shen family, acting on Shen Zhuan's orders, came to take Shen Mingxin home and relayed a message that Shen Chou's matter was settled, and the family was now at peace.
Shen Mingxin remained silent at the table for a moment before finally getting up.
Before leaving, seeing that the white cat hadn't moved, he bypassed the servants and silently bowed to the white cat, both as a thank you and a farewell.
Chu Shenxiang watched him leave, and after waiting for a while, she went to the Shen family and took a look.
As dusk settled, Shen Zhuan, Shen Chou, and Shen Mingxin sat around a table in the Shen family mansion, enjoying a peaceful and harmonious meal.
The first two acted as if nothing had happened, one kind and gentle, the other respectful, raising their glasses and serving each other food. Only Shen Mingxin forced herself to remain calm, her smile stiff, and she sat as far away from Chen Chou as possible.
This scene is strange.
But it seems that everything is developing exactly as Shen Zhuan had arranged, and there is nothing to worry about.
But is that really the case?
Chu Shenxiang stood indifferently outside, her image obscured.
He left before the meal was finished.
Before leaving, he extracted the wisp of his divine consciousness residing within the white cat incense ash and sent it into the small statue facing Shen Mingxin's bedside.
Its divine sense was exhausted from the invisible clash with Lord Chunshan that afternoon, so it fell asleep as soon as it entered. However, if the Shen family made any unusual moves, it would react immediately, and Chu Shenxiang, who was far away in the temple, would also be aware of it.
The white cat lay down in front of the small statue and vanished silently.
The ashes piled up, leaving only a faint trace of salty fishiness on the dark eaves, a faint smell of lingering river shrimp.
...
The next day was the first day of the lunar month. Early in the morning, Chu Shenxiang welcomed the Shen family's worship procession to the temple.
The Shen family always calculates auspicious times for their prayers, mostly at night, with only a few occasions during the day. Today was clearly one of the rare occasions. As usual, only Shen Zhuan, the head of the household, was in the procession; Shen Mingxin was absent.
After completing the entire worship ceremony, Chen Zhuan dismissed his attendants and knelt alone beneath the altar, offering incense and asking for prayers.
"Goddess of the Xiang River, this humble old man, Chen Zhuan, kowtows in reverence..."
In the dim light of dawn, Shen Zhuan, with a devout and solemn expression, prostrated himself on the ground.
Incense burned before the deity, its smoke rising gently. Through this, Chu Shenxiang could hear what Shen Zhuan was thinking at that moment.
He only had two things on his mind: first, to pray to the goddess Shen Xiangjun to bless his sworn brother Shen Mingxin and the Shen family; and second, that he had to leave home today for some business, hoping for a smooth journey and that he could safely complete all his tasks. He didn't reveal much more about Shen Chou or Lord Chunshan.
Clearly, he suspected and feared the Goddess of the Xiang River, and thus harbored ulterior motives.
But Chu Shenxiang didn't care and didn't intend to explain anything.
What others think of him is none of his business. If he truly cared, he would have spoken to Shen Mingxin last night. Because he has no intention, it doesn't matter.
"Lord Shenxiang above, this old man begs to know, is it possible for this trip to Xiling County to fulfill my wish?"
After Shen Zhuan finished his prayers, he murmured as he tossed the divination blocks.
As always, Chu Shenxiang did not interfere, letting the two cups fall naturally onto the floor tiles.
The Yin Cup signifies divine denial.
Shen Zhuan's face twitched slightly. Beneath his drooping eyelids, a pair of cloudy eyes flashed with a sharp light. He quickly glanced at the tall shrine, then lowered his head again, picked up the cup, and held it up to his forehead with both hands.
"Two more times, two more times, pray to the Goddess of the Xiang River..."
Throw it again, look again, and it's still a negative cup.
Shen Zhuan glanced at the indistinct face of the deity in the shrine, kowtowed once, and raised the cup for the third time.
It fell to the ground with a thud, still an inky cup.
Shen Zhuan rested his hands on his knees, looking down at the cups on the floor tiles. His aged face was backlit by the morning light, dim and blurry, as if covered with a layer of mud, flowing with dark, sticky fluid.
I don't know how much time passed.
"master?"
The old steward's voice came from outside the hall: "It's almost time to leave, shall we... still go?"
With a twitch of his eyelids, Shen Zhuan slowly raised his head. "Let's go. Everything's been arranged, why aren't we going?"
He picked up the cup, put it back in its place, got up and stepped out of the hall, his expression no different from usual.
The old butler, who had served Shen Zhuan for many years, noticed something amiss and whispered, "Master, is the result of the cup-raising ceremony not good enough?"
Shen Zhuan did not answer.
The old butler understood.
He touched the letter in his sleeve.
The letter was secretly slipped to me by my young master, Shen Mingxin, just before I left. He said it was for Shen Zhuan, but not now; it had to be given to him in Xiling. He insisted it couldn't be given to him too early.
The old steward was reliable and trustworthy, and Shen Mingxin trusted him.
When the old steward received the letter, he didn't think much of it. But after leaving the city, the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. He couldn't quite put his finger on what was strange, but he just felt something was off, and a nameless unease began to creep into his heart about the trip.
Knowing the outcome of the cup-tasting, this unease intensified.
"Master, perhaps we should reconsider our trip to Xiling. There are other options besides this one for family matters..."
“Maolin, I know you’re worried, but I have no other choice,” Shen Zhuan interrupted the steward’s advice. “A mortal’s life is only a few decades long, and it’s all about fighting against fate. Even without these things at home, I would still go to Xiling to give it a try.”
"The Grand Preceptor of the Divine Illumination Kingdom has come to our Yu County to recruit disciples. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we seize this chance, the Shen family can change its allegiance, replace those powerful clans, and become a prominent family in the Northern Pearl Kingdom in no time. We absolutely cannot miss this opportunity!"
The old butler sighed and remained silent.
The group left the temple and walked away in the morning light.
After a while, a wisp of invisible pure energy flew out from the temple, chased after it, and drifted into Chen Zhuan's soul.
Chu Shenxiang knew that Shen Zhuan's heart was not sincere, but after kneeling and worshipping for more than ten years, she had at least received some of his offerings, and she could still use her pure energy to dispel some of the evil energy on him. Unfortunately, Shen Zhuan's evil energy was too heavy, and it could not be dispelled by just a few strands of pure energy.
The law of cause and effect in this world is inescapable, even for gods, let alone humans.
Standing in the temple, which grew colder with the passing season, Chu Shenxiang quietly watched the figures disappearing into the deep forest, just as she had watched countless mortals over the past two hundred years, their destinies flowing like rivers and mist.
Now that Shen Zhuan has left Yu County, Shen Mingxin should also come to Shenxiang Temple.
Shen Mingxin is a decisive person. If he really wants to take on the karma that Shen Zhuan mentioned, he won't delay for long. At most, he will take action in two or three days.
Chu Shenxiang watched the human antics while patiently waiting. Four or five days passed, but Shen Mingxin still hadn't arrived.
Has something happened?
But Shen Mingxin neither called for the white cat, nor did his own divine sense, hidden within the small shrine in Shen Mingxin's bedroom, detect anything. Everything should be alright.
Chu Shenxiang hadn't paid attention to anyone's safety for a long time, and now, thinking about it, she felt agitated, disturbing her tranquil mind. Within her spiritual sea, a human-like being cried out, waving its arms and legs wildly.
"Keep quiet."
His consciousness surged, and his cold indifference suppressed humanity.
Juggling is only enjoyable when you're relaxed and happy; at this time, it's just noisy.
Having trained her human nature, Chu Shenxiang conjured a white cat and was about to go to the Shen family to investigate when she suddenly stopped and looked towards the foot of the mountain.
It was just past four in the morning, and before dawn, three men from Yuejia Village came stumbling and crawling at the foot of Wangqiu Mountain. Their faces were filled with panic and fear as they ran up the mountain, shouting hoarsely, "God Xiangjun above, please save us! Please save Yuejia Village!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com